By Tom Renner
South Haven high school students in a geometry class took a recent assignment quite literally.
The assignment was created by Amy Cockburn, the high school principal who is also teaching the geometry class.
Students were tasked to apply circle geometry concepts in the construction of a raft that would be mathematically sound, buoyant and “community worthy”. The raft had to be made of recyclable and easily accessible materials such as pop bottles, pool noodles, recycled food containers, inner tubes and PVC pipes. No more than ten dollars could be spent on materials. As part of the project the class created a water safety poster for use in the community.
In the end, the rafts were tested in the high school pool and competed in a community-judged competition. Members of the Rotary Club served as judges. Performance criteria used to judge the nine rafts included stability, load and speed. After the water test, students were quizzed by the judges.
A lesson well learned.
